


Back in Time: The Lightning Thief

by JonRiptide



Series: PJO Back in Time [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25711678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JonRiptide/pseuds/JonRiptide
Summary: Percy Jackson has just arrived at Camp Halfblood, with many challenges ahead of him. However, when two time travelers are brought there, the challenges he has to face change entirely. Now, he and his friends must use the clues from a lost timeline to try to make the best out of their new one.
Series: PJO Back in Time [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1864768
Comments: 20
Kudos: 36





	1. Grover I

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER. The obvious. I do not own anything. Thanks to Mr Riordan for giving us such wonderful stories.
> 
> 2\. As some of you know this is a repost of sorts of an old story I have written when I used the HarryBond007(ffnet) username. It is me, I am not stealing it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grover prepares for a meeting as something unexpected looms in the horizon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Thanks a lot to NessaRoseFangirl(ffnet) for helping me beta this story. Also thanks to Ana-DaughterofHades(ffnet) who helped me a lot with a prior version and Kendra PJO(ffnet) and Derek Chase(ffnet) who helped on the first draft of this chapter.
> 
> 2\. Any error here is mine and not from my reviewer. If you spot anything or have a doubt about the grammar used or plot just PM me, I'm always swift to answer.
> 
> 3\. Enjoy

**Hours before chaos exploded at camp,** Grover was already looking like a nervous wreck.

He felt as if he was in a crowded bus filled with rabbits, heading for a ten-hour long field trip, with no food or bathroom breaks whatsoever. Nancy Bobofit sitting next to him, poking his ribs. Something along those lines, only that ten times worse.

Okay sure, maybe he was a bit over-dramatic, but his situation was truly awful. Ever since he woke up Grover had been receiving tons of bad news and he couldn't see the end of it yet.

Everything went downhill after they left that Greyhound, up until that point things were moving just fine. At least to some extent. Grover found it hard to believe that only yesterday he was at Yancy Academy trying to follow the plan as best as he could, and today, he had walked out of the Big House barely being able to call himself a keeper.

If he hadn't gone to the bathroom at the wrong time things might've turned out differently. He wouldn't have lost Percy at the bus terminal. Maybe they would've made it to camp before any real threat appeared. More importantly, Percy's mother would still be alive.

Grover had really ruined things this time.

Yes, Percy was safe at camp but not thanks to him. In fact, Grover couldn't even remember doing anything useful when that monster came after them. What kind of protector is dragged all the way to safety by the guy he was supposed to protect anyway?

Taking a long breath, he went on with his task, trying to avoid any curious glance. Surely the other campers already knew all about his most recent failure and Grover didn't want to go over the details with them.

Grover just couldn't believe his luck, every time he was on the brink of fulfilling his mission… BANG! Something happened that brought it all down. Considering all the creatures and mystical forces out there, it was a surprise Grover was even alive.

Truth to be told, Grover's story was not easy to explain, which was understandable considering all the talk about monsters and mystical forces. It's hard to accept at first, it could seem extraordinary or unbelievable, maybe even foolish. However, for Grover Underwood, all of it was his world. He was not a normal boy. He was really a keeper, a protector. A small part of a larger and fantastical reality.

Grover was a satyr.

A satyr was a creature from the old myths, a fantasy, some people would say. Grover was quite real though. He had hairy goat legs that couldn't be easily explained if he went to the beach someday and a cap to hide a pair of tiny horns that were still growing up. Yes, Grover was truly a satyr, yet it was nothing to be afraid of. There were far more powerful forces dwelling out there; monsters, magic, gods…

Actually, the world we live in is not alone, it hides another one beneath it. A world where the Greek gods and monsters exist, yet a world with heroes too. The Greek myths have been evolving with this world, merging together. It may be difficult to notice at times, especially for normal people - the mortals. Even so, those myths were there, Grover had to deal with them every day. He wouldn't be lying if he said a pegasus had eaten his shirt once.

Anyways, Grover was now at camp, and one way or another Percy was there too. Even when the situation could be a million times better, it was at least refreshing to see Thalia's tree up in the distance. Crowning Half-blood Hill with its ever-lasting aura of courage and power.

 _Camp Half-blood_ was no ordinary summer camp. It was a place magically concealed from the eyes of mortals. Heroes, who were the mortal children of the gods, were able to train there in safety. As every other satyr in camp, Grover had the task of bringing half-bloods — or demigods — to camp in one piece. By doing so, he might be granted a seeker's license one day.

Well, maybe that was over now since that wouldn't be happening after his latest task.

"Fantastic job, Underwood, top-notch keeping right there" _,_ Grover muttered to himself as he reached the top of Half-Blood Hill.

He had just woken up less than an hour ago and went to check on Percy right away. The black-haired boy was not looking good and it was Grover's fault he was stuck in bed. The least he could do was get that thing for him. _His spoils of war_.

In Grover's world, spoils of war were tokens left behind by monsters once they were defeated. They might not look like much, but sometimes they could prove useful in a quest. They reminded a hero of what had been achieved and, most importantly, of what had been lost in the path to achieving it.

Percy had lost his mother, the price had been the highest one for him. Finding that thing wouldn't be much for Percy, but it had to be done. The boy was going to get what was rightfully his, even if Grover had to turn over every single stone in Half-Blood Hill to find it.

That was just a saying though. Percy had defeated the Minotaur, the same from the old myths who — as every monster — had the ability to regenerate from time to time. It was a given that Percy's spoils wouldn't fit under a rock.

Cautiously optimistic, Grover started his search. Considering the size of the Minotaur, the satyr had thought he would find those spoils rather quickly, however, the better part of the morning went by without much luck. He couldn't remember where those spoils had fallen and he had an appointment he couldn't miss. In spite of it, Grover didn't stop searching.

As time passed by, the satyr turned more and more anxious. At noon he had to present his report to the elders of the satyr council, the report of his failure with Percy. They were going to deny him the seeker's license, forever most likely.

"There has to be a way," he voiced to no one. "It was not my fault. Well, maybe it was, but Percy got safely to camp, that must count for something, right? Or maybe If I just— Oh who am I kidding!?"

Grover didn't consider confidence as one of his greatest strengths. Actually, being able to play a couple of songs in his reed pipes was his one and only skill.

As he tried to clear his head, Grover took a look down at the camp in all its splendor. Demigods and satyrs were moving on with their days, wearing their orange Camp Halfblood T-shirts proudly. Some were playing at the volleyball court while others moved towards the lake. Farther away, on the other side of the Big House, the sun brightened the strawberry fields with its golden touch, making the camp look majestic.

Grover had never felt as far away from the other campers as at that moment. He had the same orange T-shirt design, but the satyr's worries were different. What if the meeting went wrong? Could they really exile him? Or would they sentence him to scare bugs from the strawberry fields for the rest of his life?

He needed that seeker's license, he had wanted it since the day his father had told him what it meant. Grover needed to go and try to find the Lord of the Wild by himself. Someone was ought to find it eventually and he wanted to do his part, as his father had done before him. He knew Pan was still out there, somewhere.

It was not only about the license though, there was also Percy. The boy was his job and it was Grover's obligation to be there for him. Still, they got along pretty well and Grover even considered himself to be Percy's friend.

"Well, that's long gone. He's not going to want to be around me anymore." the satyr said, kicking a small rock away. "How am I even going to tell him about his mother? _'Look, Percy, sorry for sleeping while your mother got killed'_? Wonderful choice of words, Underwood."

This was not his first failure though. There was also Thalia.

Grover's eyes turned to the large pine tree in front of him. The tree was in silence, yet the slow rustling of its leaves sounded like whispers to the satyr. It was full of life and magic, the type you could not properly see but it was easy to feel. In Lord of the Rings terms, it was more like the gorgeous trees at Rivendell than the walking stone-throwing Ents — not that he was against nature sticking up for itself, not at all. Anyway, the point was that Thalia's tree had a subtle glow of its own, with energy flowing from its deepest root to the highest leaf. Grover was speechless as he admired it, not for the first time.

Thalia Grace didn't die, not in the proper way she didn't. Zeus had turned his daughter into this big pine tree the instant before she fell to the army of monsters; the ones sent by Hades, Lord of the Dead. Thalia's tree had been protecting the camp with its magical barrier ever since, reigning proud on top of Half-Blood Hill.

That was five years ago. Five years and Grover still remembered it vividly. She gave her life to save them all, sacrificing herself just a few feet away from safety. Grover had failed then, and, because of it, they had lost her.

As a daughter of Zeus, Thalia would have been a wonderful addition to the camp. However, Grover remembered her more as a friend. She had been a little rough around the edges but always cared about those close to her. Grover still missed her, surely Luke and Annabeth missed her even more.

Grover didn't want to lose Percy too, but the boy would soon be starting a difficult path of his own. Hades was after him now, that much was clear. And here was Grover, complaining about a silly report meeting.

At that moment the satyr lowered his eyes, and he saw it. Only a couple of feet away from the base of Thalia's tree, shyly hiding behind a patch of tall grass. Grover saw what he had come looking for. A large object, black and white. It was rough and it ended in a deadly point. It belonged to Percy now, his spoils of war.

Grover saw the Minotaur's horn.

For a while he just stared at the horn, surprised by how big the monster must have been. In the night it had looked terrifying, but the light of the day made it possible to realize the full extent of its size. The thing before him was huge considering it was only the broken tip of the horn, and it felt heavy enough to be used as a hammer. How in the gods' name was Percy able to break that thing off? Unarmed. There was certainly something special about him.

"He has to be the one," Grover said to himself.

Suddenly, as he put the horn away on a large shoebox, Grover felt something all around him. An unearthly feeling, as if the ground trembled and the very time stopped. His body seemed to be commanding him to be afraid of something, and all the hairs on his arms stood up. Even so, the nasty feeling was soon gone, and it had been so brief that Grover wasn't sure if he had imagined it in the first place.

However, as he hurried downhill using his goat legs skillfully, he kept looking behind his back. Still afraid.

It was almost time for his report to the Council of Cloven Elders, so Grover headed directly to the woods. He was anxious, a combination of the report he had to give with whatever happened at the hill. Grover wished he had an old soda can to chew on, that always helped. The satyr felt so uneasy that once he put his first hoof in the forest he imagined a hole opening below and swallowing him whole. He was optimistic like that.

The satyr made his way through the trees, with the sound of a nearby creek at his side. It was not long before the forest had surrounded him entirely. The wind there had a wild smell to it, tender and untamed at the same time. The animal whispers that reached him soothed his doubts, if only a little.

This was the wild. A small part of it, yes, but it was a reminder of his reason to go out there. His purpose. These were troubling times, nature was in danger and only Pan — the god of the wild — could restore it to its former glory. Grover had to find him, or at least try.

He took a deep breath and continued, keeping the heaviness of the shoebox against him. Soon his ears found a playful forest tune, a melody woven out of reed pipes. It sounded like a whirlwind of leaves and fresh dirt, with a small pinch of cinnamon.

"Hey, nice one there," Grover told another satyr, who was seated on what was left of a hollow tree.

The other satyr stopped playing his pipes and raised his eyes, "Thanks. It's _'Saria's song'_. You know, from Zelda."

"Neat."

Grover smiled. Woodrow was one of the few satyrs who didn't look at him reproachfully. On the other hand, Woodrow was a music teacher, so maybe he had been so focused on his classes that he hadn't even heard anything about Grover's failure.

"Is it time for your hearing yet?"

Or maybe he did.

"Yeah, heading that way now," Grover answered, looking away as he moved a hand through his curly brown hair.

He wanted someone to hear him out but he wasn't sure if Woodrow was the right set of ears. Grover had not seen many people since returning the night before, and Chiron was the only one he had talked about it so far.

Woodrow scratched his head uncomfortably, he could tell Grover was worried. "They're not exiling you. You didn't really break any rule."

He did have a good point. "I'm not getting a license though."

Woodrow's eyes were suddenly more interested in the bark of the nearby trees, his silence was clearer than words. Grover's face showed his disappointment.

"That might not be such a bad thing, Grover," Woodrow said at last, "You can do plenty of other things here at camp. You might find you like them better."

Woodrow did lots of good at camp but Grover doubted that was the life for him. He had no special talent, not like Woodrow he hadn't. Well of course he could conjure some basic woodland charms, but every satyr could do those as well. His true calling was to go out there and look for Pan.

"Have you heard me play? I kind of suck."

Woodrow stood up, making a low bleat sound, "I could teach you a tune or two but it doesn't have to be music for you. It could be some other class or even the fields. We can't all be Jeff Sprout."

Grover had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Jeff had never really said anything rude to Grover, probably because he didn't even talk to him. Still, Grover couldn't really stand hearing about Jeff at the moment.

Jeff Sprout was the coolest satyr in camp, he had his seeker's license already but he hadn't formally started his search yet. He was always interrupting his plans because he kept finding lost demigods on his path all the time. He had the record for the most half-bloods retrieved or something like that. A ten-times winner of satyr-of-the-month.

Grover released a sigh. There was no point in comparing himself to Jeff though, as even an average satyr was doing way better than Grover. He could think of a dozen names, all of them more talented keepers.

"Being a seeker is what I want. My father and grandfather were seekers before me too. I have to be a seeker."

Woodrow nodded,but he didn't look like he believed Grover could get the license. It didn't matter, Grover wanted to be a seeker anyway. Who said he had to be as good as Jeff Sprout to get a license? Jeff was not the only one out there.

He also thought of his mother, a red oak dryad who he barely remembered. One of many nature spirits who fell because of the battle between pollution and nature. Grover had to try, now more than ever.

The solstice was coming as well, the world was at great risk. Searching for Pan might not put Zeus at ease but at least it was something positive Grover could do.

Grover gathered all of his courage, readying himself for the meeting. Although, before he could say goodbye to Woodrow, something caught his attention.

"Hey Underwood, heard you were back. Found any demigods around?" said a joking voice, Grover winced.

Three new satyrs were approaching, they were wearing orange Camp Halfblood shirts, not unlike the ones Grover and Woodrow had. They were somewhat young but still ten or so years older than Grover, give or take. Wyatt and Wesley were at the sides, laughing their hoofs off as if they had just heard the funniest joke ever. The one in the middle had light brown hair and looked like a satyr out of a Disney movie, fat and balding. His name was Geórgios, but everyone just called him George. He was probably Grover's least favorite satyr at camp.

"Ha! That he did," answered Wyatt who was drinking a carton juice with a straw, a strawberry flavored Hawaiian Punch.

"And lucky for him, he had someone to protect him, didn't he?" Added Wesley, he was taller and had darker hair to him.

Grover wished he had a comeback, but they weren't lying. Grover did fail and Percy did save him.

Woodrow turned to Grover and shrugged, as if telling him not to mind the three of them. Grover wished he could just go away and make as he didn't see them. He turned in the direction of the council, his report suddenly felt like the lesser of two evils.

"Err guys, it is good seeing you and all, but I have something that—" started Grover, sounding a little more annoyed than he intended.

Wesley's and Wyatt's booing interrupted him, yet George cut them off. "Guys, guys, easy. Maybe we got it all wrong, you know how unreliable rumors are. Maybe Grover did make a terrific job looking after this _Prancy_ boy."

"Percy, his name is Percy," corrected Grover, snorting loudly.

George continued, walking around as if he was not paying Grover much attention. "Whatever, a single half-blood. I have to recognize the elders for giving you a second chance, a nice gesture. Maybe they thought you couldn't handle last time because they were three strong demigods, a daughter of Zeus was among them after all. Wonder what they will say now that you failed with this Percy boy, a son of some minor god most likely."

Grover gritted his teeth. Oh, George had no idea. Percy was something else, he knew it at once, otherwise he wouldn't have reached Chiron about him. Moreover, the boy defeated the Minotaur all by himself, without any training or even an appropriate weapon.

He still didn't know who Percy's father was but he thought Percy was the one Chiron had been looking for. A child from one of the Big Three. Chiron surely considered it as well, he wouldn't have gone to Yancy to look after him if he didn't. Percy may complicate things with the current situation but it was way better to have him at camp than somewhere out there, alone and without any means of help.

Grover had a strong feeling in his gut. Something big was coming and soon. Maybe it had something to do with what he experienced at the hill, or maybe it was just that he hadn't got a proper breakfast this morning, who knew. Either way, they had to be prepared.

A part of Grover wanted to shout all of that at George, but he was not about to betray Chiron's trust like that. George was nothing more than a bully wasting his time, he could just ignore him.

"I failed. There, I said it. Are you happy now?"

George rolled his eyes.

"It was bad luck. Don't be so harsh on him, at least he tried," added Woodrow.

An expression appeared on George, he made it look as if he was very offended. "And what? We didn't? That's what you're trying to say?"

Wesley and Wyatt jumped as if their pride had been hurt. "We could have done it! If we wanted to."

Surprise was shown on Woodrow's face, he didn't like to be put in the spot. "I didn't say that, I just—"

"It's not our fault he was stubborn enough to go out there. Again." continued George, frowning as he pointed at Grover, "He should have learned his lesson. He knew he was not good enough back then, what made him think it would be any different now? Maybe if he had left the job to someone else the boy would have been safer."

"Someone like Jeff," added Wyatt, while Wesley nodded at his back.

All of a sudden Grover was left speechless, as if a thunder had stricken him with each one of George's sentences. Anger turned into regret. Maybe they were right, maybe he should have let Jeff or some other satyr handle Percy's situation. It was not a simple one after all. Maybe another one would have done a far better job. Maybe someone else could have saved Percy's mother. How could Grover think his seeker dreams were more important than Percy's wellbeing?

An arm appeared over Grover's shoulder, George's. "Look boy, jokes aside, I'm just trying to give you sound advice here. Listen to me. I have more experience.'' The chubby satyr leaned a little, as if trying to make Grover notice that his horns couldn't be hidden under his hair as easily as Grover's.

"Yeah right, and I'm Achilles."

Wyatt tried to laugh, at least until Geroge cut it off with a menacing look. Then Wesley pointed at Grover, "What do you got there by the way?"

Grover followed his finger to the shoebox on his arms. "Err, nothing."

The horn. It felt uneasy in his arms. Spoils of war were the prize for defeating monsters, that was a hero thing, definitely not something Grover could earn.

George snorted, deciding to ignore the shoebox. "Things are like this Grover, the problem was you trying again. If you had realized how everything was from the beginning you could have saved yourself a good chunk of effort and frustration. The strawberry fields are comfortable, we could use you there, teach you a thing or two."

"Listen to them Grover," said Woodrow, "You tried, it was not meant to be. Maybe the camp is the right place for you."

"Jeez, thanks for the advice."

He moved away from all of them, including Woodrow. He needed some space. Woodrow might mean well but Grover knew he had similar ideas to the others. For years Grover had heard stuff like that, about not being strong or tall enough, about not being good enough to get a license. He had thought Percy was the opportunity to prove them all wrong but he had failed, as he had failed before, as everyone had said he would.

What if the problem was not everyone else? What if he was truly stubborn and couldn't recognize he didn't have what was needed for the job? He was maybe getting in the way of someone who could do more good than him. Grover was not athletic like Jeff, he was not as skilled in woodland magic as Woodrow either. If he couldn't even trust the decisions he had taken, what did he have?

He hurried away, trying to remember his arguments for the meeting. He couldn't go to the meeting with all those thoughts in his head.

"Here's free advice then! You could have gotten that precious license of yours already, you're just too dense to see what you had to do," George shouted.

That stopped Grover dead on his tracks. He turned to them, halfway out of there. "What do you mean?"

"The first time. You messed it up. With Zeus' girl."

Grover looked visibly confused. Thalia? He took some bad turns on his way to camp then, that's true, but George didn't look as if he was going to provide navigation tips.

"You should have left them. The other two," said George, "Thalia Grace was the important one. You knew that."

The whole forest seemed quieter somehow. All the other satyrs seemed surprised. Wyatt wide-eyed, still loudly drinking from his juice though it was clear the carton was empty.

_The other two? Did he really mean...? Annabeth and Luke?_

For a second Grover imagined himself leaving them, Annabeth and Luke dying victims of some cyclops or any other monster. Then, a crowd of satyrs and the council congratulating him on his task of bringing Thalia safely to camp, giving him a seeker's license.

Grover couldn't stand it. It made him sick. He frowned at George but didn't answer back. Instead, the satyr huffed and stormed toward his meeting, hardly remembering what it was about for a moment.


	2. Grover II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visit arrives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Thanks a lot to NessaRoseFangirl for helping me beta this story. Also thanks to Ana-DaughterofHades who helped me a lot with a prior version of this chapter.
> 
> 2\. Any error here is mine and not from my reviewer. If you spot anything or have a doubt about the grammar used or plot just PM me, I'm always swift to answer.
> 
> 3\. Enjoy

**Some part of Grover wished the Council had said he had failed already;** then he wouldn't be as nervous as he was now, just wondering what was going to happen.

The Council had heard him out but they seemed to know all of the facts by then. Silenus and Maron kept pointing out all the mistakes Grover had made, while Leneus nodded disapprovingly. Mr. D had been resting in a corner, looking lazily at his nails.

The Council of Cloven Elders was going to be deliberating. However, after listening to all of their complaints, the satyr didn't know how he was going to make it out of this one. Probably the only reason why there was no final decision yet was Chiron, who had arrived just in time to argue in his defense.

Chiron was the activities director at camp and an honorary member of the council. He was the same centaur from the old stories, the mentor of heroes. Of all the immortal forces in the world, Grover liked him the best. It was not like he was going to say that out loud though. Mr. D, the camp director, could and would hear him. He was one of the twelve Olympian gods and Grover didn't want to upset him. He was very afraid of Mr. D actually, as any sane person should be.

As he sat on a lonely log in the forest, Grover wondered what his future would look like without a seeker's license. He was practicing some simple tunes in his pipes yet the sound coming out of them was nowhere as good as Woodrow's. Actually, Grover didn't have a good enough talent to give any sort of class in camp, so that was a no. Was he destined to spend the rest of his life in the strawberry fields then? Listening to George dismiss the seeker life as nonsense while other more capable satyrs were out there looking for Pan?

Grover frowned, still upset. He couldn't stand the thought of George at the moment. His words had been so distracting that he had almost forgotten everything he was going to say to the council.

_"You should have left them. The other two,"_ George's words came again.

The nerve of that guy. Grover was so mad just to think about it, he couldn't help a loud bleat from escaping him.

Yes, the seeker's license was his dream, but Grover could never leave other campers to die like that. Annabeth had been barely a little girl, scared of monsters sure, but already fierce with that bronze knife of hers. The daughter of Athena had grown into one of the best fighters around. She was a reliable friend and the camp would be much less without her in it.

He couldn't imagine letting Luke go either. He was the camp's leader and always tried to bring out the best of his fellow campers, in and out of the sword practice.

If he had to decide between his seeker's license and his friends, Grover would pick his friends, every single time. He would rather spend an eternity with George if that meant Annabeth and Luke's survival.

Maybe that was his problem. Grover's mission had been to rescue Thalia and bring her to camp at once. Only Thalia. Maybe, if he had done so, Luke and Annabeth would have still made it to camp, they were capable fighters after all. Maybe his problem was that he hadn't trust their skills enough. Maybe he screwed up, as he did with Percy as well.

Percy. That had been a different thing altogether. One of his biggest mistakes was not telling Percy the truth at once, that and going to the restroom at the worst possible time. Grover should have told Percy the truth the moment the boy confessed hearing him talking to Chiron at Yancy. The satyr had to admit it, he panicked when Percy mentioned the fates snipping the thread, but who wouldn't? That was probably the worst sign one could get and there were a lot of very bad signs in their world. Like really a lot.

As if that wasn't enough, the solstice was coming too. Zeus wanted what was stolen recovered by then and they still didn't know how he was going to react to Percy. They ignored who the thief was as well.

Grover sighed heavily. He didn't have a clue of what was going to happen, but he certainly didn't want Percy to die.

With a heavy heart, the satyr continued playing Hilary Duff in his pipes, trying to put his head away from things for a moment. Aside from the occasional squirrel and the rushing of the leaves, everything around him appeared to be in peace. At least in the middle of the forest and far away from the strawberry fields there was nothing that could annoy him, or so he thought.

He felt that thing again, the one he had felt at Halfblood Hill. Grover was more afraid, realizing he hadn't imagined it at the hill. It felt stronger this time and, even with the hot summer they were having, the forest had been colder and darker for a moment. Again, the feeling had left, as quickly as it had arrived.

Grover sat in silence for a moment, turning to the sides, trying to hear anything out of the ordinary.

"Gosh! That tune is a downer," a whiny voice said.

Lost in his own thoughts, Grover was caught completely unaware. He jumped away from the fallen log, his reed pipes almost falling out of his hands in the process. For a moment Grover turned to his right and there he found a dryad, sitting on a low branch of a tree and lazily swinging her feet about.

"What do you call that? _'The crying satyr ballad'_ ," asked the dryad, who seemed to be a blueberry one. Not long ago Grover had a crush on another blueberry dryad, which instinctively made the satyr straighten up.

"I'm not crying."

"It was a matter of time," insisted the dryad, more annoying than Grover's old crush.

"Didn't you feel that? Just now?" the satyr asked.

"It was just a cloud passing by. What? Are you going to cry because it blocked the sun for a beat?"

Grover huffed, loudly. "I'm not in the mood, okay?"

"What a surprise. The sad satyr is not in the mood."

The thought of looking for a different place to play his pipes turned suddenly more attractive. It didn't seem like that nasty feeling was going to return either way, whatever it was. Still, the dryad didn't look like she wanted to leave him alone.

Maybe the interruption was a sign, it was clear nature didn't want him to take a break. Even so, before he tried to leave, a second dryad appeared from his left, closing his escape. She was a more familiar one though.

"Knock it off Cherry. Grover's just having a hard day," said Rowan, the red cedar dryad.

The blueberry dryad, Cherry, rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

Unlike the short blue hair from the first dryad, Rowan's hair was straight and dark red. She was taller and had a better tan to her, which in dryad terms meant a more brownish tone of green. She had been friends with Grover for a while now and she had never complained about his Hilary Duff songs.

Rowan was not alone as she approached him, she brought a friend with her, a smaller dryad of amber hair. Grover didn't know her so she caught his attention for a moment, that was until Rowan sat on the log next to him. Grover sat back as well.

"How was the council?" the red cedar dryad asked, hands crossed on her lap.

Grover looked down, suddenly more interested in his reed pipes. Rowan was not like Leneus or Silenus (like not similar at all), still pretty girls could make him just as nervous as reporting to the council.

"It could have been worse," he said, blushing.

To his right, Cherry, the blueberry dryad, rolled his eyes.

"So they didn't exile you or anything?" asked Rowan.

Grover shook his head. _Not yet, at least,_ he thought.

Rowan let out a breath that the satyr wasn't aware she was holding. "Oh thank the gods. They gave you the license then?" the red cedar dryad followed with a hopeful smile.

"They haven't decided yet."

For a moment he was so frustrated, he felt as if things were getting worse and he couldn't do anything but wait. "I mean, I'm here trying to do my part and they— it's like—"

"Like what?" asked the third dryad shyly, Rowan's friend. She had an elfish face to her and was very pretty.

Grover paused only briefly, "Like they don't care. Like, seriously dudes, the wild is dying out there and all you talk about is if I made it two feet in or out of the camp's limits. Very uncool."

"I care," said Rowan's friend with a smile. "It's good that nature is so important to you."

Rowan stood up, "Oh sorry, I completely forgot, you guys don't know each other," she rushed to her friend and brought her closer, "Grover, this is Juniper."

"Nice to meet you."

"Her tree is a juniper," added Rowan.

"Guessed as much."

After joyfully shaking Juniper's smooth hand, Grover heard a new complaint from Cherry. This time it was about not being introduced either, which Rowan begrudgingly did.

It was obvious Rowan didn't like Cherry but it was not like she could move two cities away from her. Dryads were nature spirits whose life force depended on their trees. They were bound to them, even physically, unable to travel far away from it. Grover had always felt for them. There was something unfair in not being able to flee as everybody else when a problem arose but it also had some deeper meaning. We should all be dryads in some way, taking care of the wild as if it was our tree, as if our survival depended on it. Because it did.

"Maybe it is better if you don't get that license," Rowan said after some time of small talking. It was different than when the satyrs said it but it still hurt. "It's nice here and I've heard some nasty things about the world out there."

She did have a point.

"I know, that's why I have to find Pan. Only Pan can fix those other places."

"No other satyr has returned, I've heard," added Juniper, looking concerned.

That was true as well, no seeker had succeeded before. Most of them got lost in their search, there were satyrs who believed not even Jeff could return safely once he formally started his search. Yet, Grover wanted to do this.

Grover's drive was strange in that way. He was afraid of many things in life, even rabbits for gods' sake. However, he couldn't stand down from this. This was the only dangerous thing he was not afraid of. Maybe he should be afraid of not being afraid.

What if Rowan was right though? She was his friend, she was only trying to help. Grover remembered the other satyrs and, for the first time, Grover considered staying at camp forever.

"If he wants it so much, you shouldn't bug him. It's his decision," Surprisingly, it was Cherry who talked.

"What are you on? He could die. He would be safer here," argued Rowan, frowning. Behind her back, Juniper was nodding.

Cherry came down with a jump, the leaves barely making a sound at the touch of her light feet. It was then Grover noticed her ' _Run Forest Run'_ shirt.

"He won't know if he doesn't give it a try," said Cherry.

"Are you serious?"

"He already said he wants to find Pan. Save all of the wild, and whatever. Don't you want that?"

Rowan huffed, hands on her hips. "Of course I want that but he's just one satyr! And my friend! A demigod will eventually do it, once it gets serious. Why does it have to be him?"

"I'm just saying, I would do it if I was him. It's a shame we can't leave this place. It would be nice to get to see the world," Cherry said with a sad tone, proper of someone who has surrendered a dream for knowing it impossible.

As Grover listened to their argument, his head started hurting. There was just so much back and forth. It was unclear how much of the argument was about Grover and how much was fueled by Rowan and Cherry not liking each other. Even so, Grover considered their words. Rowan was a good friend to him but she didn't seem able to understand him, not unlike Woodrow. Cherry's words on the other hand were compelling to his ears, though they were said for somewhat selfish reasons.

Who should he listen to?

In all honesty, there was a part of him that wanted to agree with Rowan. Stay, make life at camp. Be happy. It was like this voice in his head saying ' _What on Zeus name are you doing?! You're just one silly satyr!'_ Maybe he should listen, maybe he should stay. Nevertheless, there was this crazy thought as well. If every satyr said ' _I'm just one satyr,'_ then no one would find Pan. Ever.

"What do you think Juniper?" asked Rowan at a break from the argument, the red cedar dryad was looking for backup.

Juniper turned from Rowan to Grover's curious look, "Ehm I— I think it would be nice if he stayed, he seems like a good satyr," she said, taking her time, "But it feels like he knows what to do. I don't see why he can't be as good at it as any demigod."

That was surprisingly good. Juniper had just met him and had more confidence in him than Grover himself. Although, maybe she would think differently if she knew him better. Maybe she was mistaking him for Jeff.

He gave a shy smile to Juniper but it soon went away. Grover remembered it was not his decision to go out after all, he had to wait for the council to decide for him.

There was enough in his head already, Grover had to go and look for Chiron. See if the old centaur had more information or advice to give him. Besides, Rowan and Cherry were just in the brink of war against each other and the satyr would rather be far from them when it exploded.

So, Grover thanked the dryads for their words and hurried to the Big House before they could stop him. He wanted to know what Chiron thought of the meeting but also he wanted to check on Percy. Maybe the boy woke up during his absence and Grover had a shoebox for him. Also, the satyr was starving.

As he made his way out of the woods, Grover found his path mostly deserted. Most of the campers were at their training classes or inside their cabins. Percy would be joining them soon enough.

Grover moved his eyes across the cabins, which were visible from where he was standing. All of the cabins were imposing as ever, different from one another, all of them important in their own right. He stopped for a moment in front of a small cabin that had grapevines growing on its walls. Grover thought about his meeting with the weird dryad argument still buzzing in his head, then he switched his attention to the left side cabins.

One of those buildings was the cabin for Percy's father. Grover didn't know for sure which one it was, he hoped it would be a good one.

Ares' cabin was bright red as always which stood up next to the golden glow of Apollo's cabin. Neither of those cabins, nor the god they were designed for, seemed right for Percy. Even so, no one would know for sure until Percy's father claimed him.

Grover's eyes moved forward, passing the hearth at the center, all the way to the end of the 'U' shaped setting. There, standing tall and the most magnificent of them all, was Zeus' cabin.

_Perhaps, if we're lucky,_ Grover thought. The possibility of Percy being a son of one of the Big Three was real and Zeus would be better than the alternatives.

Even so, the satyr knew there were many other possibilities. Including cabin eleven and the uncertainty. He tried to brush that away from his head as he continued his path to the Big House.

_Percy can't end up in Hermes' Cabin, he just can't. It has to be him,_ he repeated weakly to himself.

Grover didn't want that for Percy, not knowing could be horrible for anyone. He had seen it in other boys' faces so many times already. Even if Percy didn't want to be Grover's friend anymore the satyr wanted him to be happy, or as happy as he could be in a world where monsters waited for the right moment to kill him.

The bad part was Grover could be kicked out of camp way before Percy's father claimed him. How long would the Council take to decide? Would he still be around to see Percy wake up? He needed to be, he had to give him that horn.

Grover held tighter into the shoebox under his arm.

At that moment he remembered that thing that had happened, the nasty feeling. It had been two times now, first on the hill and just now in the forest. Grover didn't know what it was but he was sure it couldn't be just a cloud. Clouds passed around camp due to the camp's magical barriers.

Most likely it had something to do with Poseidon and Zeus' struggle.

Grover left the arena behind and soon the Big House was visible. He kicked a small rock in his way, as hard as he could, just to let go some of his frustration. He was no oracle and his head was down, so he didn't see the rock coming very close to hitting someone.

"Hey! careful!" Grover raised his eyes to look at Annabeth, who was walking down from the Big House.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to," he managed to say quickly.

Annabeth was a daughter of Athena and an old friend to Grover. He had met her when he tried to bring Thalia back to camp all those years ago, when he had met Luke as well. At the moment, Luke and Annabeth were two of the very few friends he still had at camp.

"It's okay," she said, looking at him with attention. "Are you alright?"

Grover nodded.

The girl had gray eyes and bright blond hair, which as usual she had pulled back on a ponytail. She was sporting her orange camp shirt with some blue jeans, her celestial bronze knife reliably strapped to her side.

Looking at her made George's words come back to him. There was no point in dwelling on that though, so Grover brushed the memory away.

His face must have given something away for Annabeth narrowed her eyes, as if studying him. "Was it that bad?"

Grover sighed, and told her most of what he remembered about the meeting. The girl mostly nodded, only interrupting him to ask quick, pointed questions. It was nice having someone to hear him without ending in a full-blown argument between tree spirits.

"You shouldn't worry that much, there's nothing you can do, but wait," she said once Grover had finished his story, "Chiron won't let it get that bad, and we'll figure out what to do after."

After. After what? After they denied him the license? After they sent him to the strawberry fields with George as a mentor?

Grover nodded sadly, but he didn't meet the girl's gray eyes. Which didn't go unnoticed.

Annabeth's tone warmed up. "Don't be so hard on yourself. The boy is okay."

"Did you see him? Is he talking now?"

"He's still out, but recovering," she sounded frustrated, "Chiron said we should let him rest. I did ask him something but all he did was mumble and got back to sleep."

The blond girl sighed and stared at some point in the distance. Grover had seen that expression on her before, as if she was trying to discern the world before her eyes at the time she went through some problem.

Grover was afraid of asking, but he did so anyway. "What did you ask him?"

Annabeth looked doubtful, but after biting her lower lip for a second, she decided to question him, "Well, maybe you can answer my questions. Do you know what's happening on the solstice? I know something was stolen, but I don't—"

"Chiron hasn't told me anything! I know as much as you do," the satyr cut her off nervously. He wasn't supposed to talk about that.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of the satyr's lie. The small glimmer of hope that had appeared on the girl's face fading at the sound of Grover's words. "Do you have a clue about his cabin then?"

"Not really. Chiron has said he has some guesses, some of them bad news I think."

"Not good ones at least," a third voice said.

Chiron was now standing a few steps away from them in his full centaur form, Grover didn't even see him coming which pointed to how distracted he was. The old centaur sometimes used his fake magical wheelchair to hide his centaur form, that's the way he managed to pass unnoticed by mortals when he took the part of Percy's Latin teacher. As Mr. Brunner, the centaur could be a common teacher, scraggy beard and tweed jacket included. However, as it was usually the case when he was at camp, Chiron now stood tall over the lower half of a grand white stallion.

"Grover, come on. I have been expecting you."

Annabeth gave him a supporting smile and a few encouraging words, then she left. Chiron led Grover towards the sky-blue house. Once Annabeth was out of ear range, he talked again. "Raise those spirits, there's still hope."

"Ha! You were there! You heard them, they believe it was my fault. Even Mr. D agrees with the Elders. The worst part is they're probably right."

Chiron put a hand on his shoulder. "Percy is safe, that was your mission."

"No thanks to me, they know that. I passed out and I even lost him in New York." Grover knew the Council just missed to say he was a lousy keeper.

"We don't know what will happen, but you will have ways to prove your worth."

"Like what? A third opportunity?"

Chiron didn't answer, he knew Grover's odds were not good.

"When is Percy waking up?" Grover asked after a while.

"He's looking good but that fight took a lot from him. I'm guessing he'll be with us at some point tomorrow."

A day to practice his apology.

Grover scratched his wispy beard, both excited and afraid of talking to his best friend again. This time it would be like his real self though, Percy would surely have a lot of questions to be answered. Then, he remembered something.

"Chiron, Annabeth asked about the deadline," Grover said as they moved near the porch of the Big House.

"You didn't tell her anything, did you?"

"No, but she is too clever. She knows the solstice is the deadline and she also knows something was stolen."

"Of course she's clever. Let's see how things turn out, a quest is coming but I am not sure if this is her time yet."

Grover made a sad gesture. Ever since Annabeth arrived she had been waiting for the time to return there, to get a quest. Who knew when her time would arrive. In a way, he could relate to her so much. He knew what it was like to wait for a chance that might never come.

"You also heard her asking me about Percy's dad, but I didn't have to lie there. I'm not sure about that one," Grover stopped briefly, then turned up to look at the centaur's face. "You know, right?"

Grover had an idea of who Percy's father could be, but nothing was certain. Besides, if it turned out Percy was not a son of the Big Three, then he would be clueless.

"Honestly? No, but I have my guesses. The problem is that those guesses are quite different from each other and, as I said, some of them are not good options. Let's wait for his father to reveal himself."

"And if he doesn't?"

Grover had seen many kids staying forever in cabin eleven, unclaimed, and he knew it was quite possible Percy may remain there.

"Then he is not the person we seek," the centaur answered with a sad gesture.

"He has to be given a sign! He's very good and without training too. You know what he did yesterday, that's not easy."

"I am hoping the same thing too, Grover. It's a difficult time and we need to hurry up."

Suddenly Grover sensed a weird presence around them and it made him jump backward in surprise. It was the third time now. A very nasty feeling indeed, unnatural. Grover felt as if he was never going to see the wild ever again. At the same time, a cold wind flooded the place and he could have sworn the whole camp went dark for a couple of seconds.

When he turned back he saw a frightened face on Chiron, he had felt it too. The old centaur was sweating. "It can't be. I thought I had imagined it before."

Then a cold and dry voice echoed around them, but Grover was never sure if he actually heard it or if it was only in his mind.

_We all get our second chances_ , the ancient voice said, then everything went back to normal.

"Chiron, what was—" Grover stopped his question abruptly.

There were two kids standing in front of them, as if they had appeared out of thin air. He was alert after what had happened, but the kids didn't look like a threat. They seemed confused.

The boy was blond and had sandy blond hair, wavy, he was somewhat younger than Percy. The little girl at his side had straight black hair, she couldn't have been more than six. Grover had never seen them in his life, yet both were wearing Camp Halfblood T-shirts.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Chiron asked in a severe tone.

"Chiron?" the boy asked nervously, then he saw Grover. "Uncle Grover?"

The satyr was shocked and he didn't even notice when his jaw dropped open. "Wha— what?"

Grover turned his eyes to their feet looking for hooves but they didn't seem to be satyrs. Come to think of it, he didn't have any brothers, so they were certainly not related to him.

"Let us start from the beginning. What are your names?" Chiron asked.

The boy quietly said, "You know us already."

Grover tried to remember but he couldn't recognize the kids. He got an odd feeling, like there was something familiar about them, but at the moment he didn't know what.

Could they be enemies of some kind? They didn't look like it but Grover had seen dangerous stuff in friendlier packages.

Chiron moved around Grover, as if circling him, then stopped in a very horse-like way. He never took his severe eyes away from the kids, "I'm having a problem remembering things this morning. Can you refresh our memories?"

The blond boy turned to the girl at his side, who was equally confused. After a moment, he ended up shrugging and decided to speak more clearly.

"I'm Rio," he said, when he didn't get the reaction he was looking for he continued, "Rio Jackson? This is my sister, Sophia."


	3. Annabeth I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A war council is called

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Thanks a lot to NessaRoseFangirl(ffnet) for helping me beta this story. Also thanks to Ana-DaughterofHades(ffnet) who helped me a lot with a prior version of this chapter.
> 
> 2\. Any error here is mine and not from my reviewer. If you spot anything or have a doubt about the grammar used or plot just PM me, I'm always swift to answer.
> 
> 3\. Enjoy

**Some people said that there were things in life you just couldn't plan for** , as a twelve-year-old who had seen monsters appear out of nowhere, Annabeth couldn't disagree more.

Not every plan could work as it was initially conceived, that much was true, but it didn't mean that planning had been useless. Far from it. Annabeth thought of plans not as recipes but as guides which were crucial in decision making. Some failed plans could give you insights on how to proceed in similar scenarios in the future. No matter what, plans always gave you the foundation to act with confidence.

 _A goal without a plan was merely a wish_.

Even though it had been years since she last faced real monsters, Annabeth remembered her previous experiences much too well. She tried to keep in mind what had worked and what had failed horribly against a certain kind of foe. It could save her life in some unforeseen future situations. The blond girl was pretty aware, for example, that when facing enemies with more than one head it was paramount to keep all of them from focusing on the same target. Pretty basic stuff really.

So, as she had told her siblings before, even surprise had to be planned carefully.

CLASH!

The sword fell down heavily, sending wood splinters into the air. Once again missing its target.

"Come here and face me like a man!" Boomed a voice, amplified by the acoustics of the arena.

As the burly kid freed his sword from the unfortunate bench, Annabeth continued looking impassive. She had her arms crossed over her chest, studying the match closely from the fourth row.

So far her brother Malcolm had been dodging the attacks in an acceptable fashion, waiting for an opening, as was logical when facing a bigger opponent.

"This is a fight, not a race. I should've known Athena children were all cowards!" boomed Mark, the burly kid in front of Malcolm. He had a sleeveless jacket vest under his leather armor, and a military haircut very common on Ares children.

Malcolm didn't engage in the conversation. The boy's dirty blond hair was hidden under his helmet and his grey eyes were fixed on his opponent. His sword was shorter, which didn't help him in terms of reach, but he was clearly betting on saving energy.

Annabeth could relate. The blond girl's weapon of choice was a celestial bronze knife, which she had received as a gift a long time ago. It gave her a great sense of freedom when attacking, yet reach had always been an issue to overcome.

In the stands, children from Athena and Ares were cheering for their respective siblings, while kids from other cabins tried to pick their favorites. Lauren Huntington, Annabeth's sister, was explaining to some younger kids the tactics at play in the fight. The girl was Athena's cabin co-counselor, but she was looking as if she would rather the teaching was done by someone else. Not far away, the Stoll brothers, from Hermes, were picking up some bets on the outcome.

"What do you think?" a black-haired boy at her left asked. It was Michael Yew, a son of Apollo.

"He has improved. I'm not sure if he'll distinguish the right moment to strike," she answered.

It was just the second year at camp for Malcolm Pace, but he was already an important part of cabin six. He was a year older than Annabeth and had all the traits of a son of Athena. He was even more passionate about books than Annabeth, which was saying something. Malcolm's interests were more scientific than hers though. The boy had a large collection of books back at the cabin which, despite having no problem with sharing, were so oddly organized in his bookcase that only he was able to locate them easily.

Annabeth tried to help him at camp, as she did with every other sibling who came to her looking for advice. As the other co-counselor of Athena's cabin, it was her duty. Lauren and she had taken the lead of the cabin on an impromptu meeting a few months ago, after it became obvious that Hector — the previous counselor — was not going to return. No official counselor had been recognized yet.

Being sixteen and having some following, Lauren had been put forward for the position at first. But Annabeth, who besides being only twelve was a natural leader and had more years at camp than almost anyone, was quickly raised as a contender. It was an odd competition. Neither of them was directly antagonizing with the other, for they were Athena's children and knew better. However, they were both trying to prove to the rest of the cabin who should be the official counselor in their own ways.

It was strange in a way, trying to win the counselorship when so many of her siblings were older than she was. Nevertheless, Annabeth never felt as if she was not up for the task. She was convinced she could do even a better job than Lauren at it.

It had been five years already since she arrived at camp, as evidenced by the five beads in her camp collar. It had been that experience paired with her skills which had made it possible for her to be a real contender for the counselor position. Being an all year rounder, Annabeth knew almost everybody at camp and had a close relationship to Chiron as well.

All that and they still didn't trust her enough.

Annabeth frowned as another slash from Mark's sword passed inches from Malcolm's left shoulder. The blond girl knew something big was happening and the solstice was the key. A deadline was coming and Olympus was unsettled, that much was obvious from the casual words she had overheard and her conversations with Luke. Even so, Chiron didn't share the whole situation with her. The satyrs avoided the situation whenever possible as well.

Annabeth wanted to help, especially since this could be the opportunity she had been waiting for.

"That was his chance. He missed the opening." Michael Yew said.

Annabeth nodded. Hoping that she hadn't missed her own chance as well.

Ever since she had arrived at camp, Annabeth had been waiting for a quest of her own. A chance to go out there and prove if all the knowledge she had acquired these past years was really useful in the real world. A quest would also help her secure the counselorship. Annabeth had been out there before, with monsters, but Thalia and Luke had done almost all the fighting back then.

Thalia. She could hardly believe it had been so many years since she was gone. Annabeth still kept those times close to her heart. Luke setting shelters here and there, Thalia putting monsters away with her shield, all of them telling stories and laughing by the campfire at night...

Her thoughts were cut short at the same time that Mark's guard was. This time Malcolm did see the opening, but he made the mistake of attacking right when he should have gone left. Mark got a minor cut, however, the Ares boy was able to kick Malcolm away. Annabeth's brother lost his helmet as he landed hard on his butt. Then, Mark was fast in putting a much larger cut on Malcolm's thigh.

"Ouh!" the crowd said in unison.

The fight was over. Malcolm had lost.

On the other side of the arena Clarisse, the big girl who was Ares cabin's counselor, smirked wickedly. The girl had a bandana in military patterns, a camo jacket, and big cargo pants. She turned to Annabeth with a mocking expression. As the gods themselves, Ares' and Athena's cabins had a long rivalry going on. Annabeth and Clarisse did as well.

The frown on Annabeth's forehead was caused by Clarisse and not by Malcolm's defeat. After all, defeats where a chance to learn from your own mistakes and Malcolm would get over it. However, Ares' children were terrible winners. As if on cue, Mark moved forward, about to needlessly kick his fallen opponent. Annabeth and the rest of her siblings stood up in protest.

"That's enough," a calm voice stopped everyone at the arena, including Mark.

It was Luke. He was the sword instructor and always avoided unnecessary injuries. He was hard with teaching but just as well. He quickly dismissed the practice, not before giving some pointers to both Mark and Malcolm.

When Luke turned to Annabeth and waved from afar, the girl smiled, trying to contain herself from blushing. The truth was that Annabeth had had a crush on Luke ever since he and Thalia found her after escaping home. Luke even gave her the knife she currently used. Annabeth always had it with her.

"Anything bothering you?" Luke asked Annabeth after she reached him, in the middle of the fighting arena. Almost everyone was already on their way out of there.

"You know what bothers me," she replied.

Luke showed a playful smile from the corner of his mouth as he took off his armor. "So Chiron hasn't said anything, then?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Even Grover knows, but it's obvious he won't say anything either."

The satyr was a close friend to Annabeth and Luke, being the one who found them and brought them to camp. Maybe later he would let them know something, though it was unlikely to happen if Chiron didn't allow him to speak.

"That's the way things are, uh? Don't worry Annabeth, we'll know soon enough. One way or the other," Luke said, looking away briefly, "So the boy, is he it?"

Percy Jackson. Annabeth really didn't know.

She answered with a shrug. "Can't tell until he recovers. He only grunts and drools for now."

Sometime ago Annabeth had heard pieces of the Great Prophecy, it had really frightened her then, but Chiron had tried to calm her after the fact. He had told Annabeth that her time for a quest would come once the boy of the prophecy arrived.

Was Percy Jackson that boy? Why else would Chiron go in person to look after him? Annabeth would have to keep a close eye on the boy to find out.

Luke laughed hard, "Who knows? Maybe that's a powerful hero's trait."

If there was something that could be said about Luke is that he always tried to find the best in other people. Yes, he had resentment towards his godly father as many campers did, but when it came to demigods he was always trying to bring out the better version of themselves.

Fortunately, Luke had knelt to tie his Nike's laces, otherwise, he would have seen Annabeth smiling like a fool at him. She needed to keep those reactions in check.

"Hey!" a girl's voice echoed in the arena.

Julie Sandoval was rushing down the steps to them. As there were barely a handful of people in the place now, her steps echoed loudly all the way down.

Annabeth noticed that the Demeter counselor's reaction was serious, even from afar it had a certain urgency to it. Once she reached Annabeth and Luke, she addressed them both.

"War Council," the black-haired girl said. She didn't have to say anything more.

As counselors of their respective cabins, Annabeth and Luke were pretty aware of what war councils entailed. They were crucial meetings summoned by Chiron to discuss plans for an ongoing emergency, or sometimes to pass along an important announcement. War councils were common when issuing a new quest for instance, but also to share the activities and shower schedules at the start of camp.

Camp had officially started already so the schedule was already up in all visible places, in bullet-point structure. It was uncertain what this council was about.

When they got to the Big House most of the other counselors were already there, even Lauren. At one side of the ping-pong table, which was their usual place for the councils, Lee Fletcher and Castor Jones murmured with spirited faces. Their expressions didn't surprise Annabeth, nobody was expecting a Council right now with no event to discuss.

No event except for the arrival of the new boy, a little voice whispered in Annabeth's head. New hopes came to Annabeth, maybe Percy Jackson really was the one she had been waiting for. Maybe she would finally be able to go on a quest.

The daughter of Athena was excited about the possibility of course, however, something was not quite right. Clarisse was too serious, she didn't even mock Annabeth and Lauren about Malcolm losing his fight; a sign that there was something bigger going on. Annabeth followed Clarisse's eyes to the farthest end of the table where she found Chiron in his fake wheelchair. The centaur was staring soberly at Annabeth and Mr. D was nowhere to be seen. What really puzzled her though, was the presence of two kids sitting by Chiron's side.

"Chiron, what's this about?" Annabeth asked.

"An announcement, it could be said. We'll get to it once we're all here."

Annabeth nodded and sat down next to Lauren. Her half-sister only nodded to her in acknowledgment, she was focused on the kids as well. Luke took the seat next to Clarisse, also noticing the attention on the two kids. They had come rushing straight from the arena, so he was still in his training gear with his trusty sword fastened to his side. Julie, who had brought them there in a hurry, sat at Annabeth's other side.

As it was common with mysteries, the kids' presence was a hook to Annabeth's attention. She thought they had to be demigods, for they couldn't be inside the camp barriers otherwise. Still, new kids were rarely the cause behind war councils. That's what the induction video was for.

The boy was blond and was at least a couple of years younger than her, Annabeth noticed. There was something familiar about him, but she just couldn't pinpoint what it was. The little girl on the other side reminded Annabeth of herself though. The resemblance was remarkable which meant she had to be a daughter of Athena also. Both kids were wearing orange camp T-shirts already.

"Do you know her?" Lauren asked.

"I don't think so," Annabeth whispered back.

Annabeth had not expected the question and yet she understood why Lauren had made it. Even when everybody at the ping-pong table was looking at them, the two kids only had eyes for Annabeth. The little girl was even smiling at her and seemed about to wave when the blond boy stopped her.

It was official. This was getting weird.

Next to Clarisse, Luke wasn't even blinking. He was the camp leader of sorts, so he was probably trying to understand the situation. Luke had that old look in his eyes as if he was deciding whether the new kids were dangerous or not.

It was then the door opened, catching everyone's attention.

"Good, we can start now," Chiron said as Charles and Silena entered the room, escorted by Grover. "I'm sorry to let you know Mr. D is currently unavailable. He had an important meeting to attend at the Council of Elders and asked me to apologize to you on his behalf."

Grover didn't hide his loud snorting.

"Yeah right!" someone said across the ping-pong table.

After the newcomers sat down, Annabeth noticed Grover's eyes on her too. As soon as he realized she had caught him staring, the satyr looked quickly away. Grover knew something about it. It was always obvious when he was hiding things, like when she asked him earlier about the solstice.

"Are the kids going to stay?" Lee asked.

"Yes, they're going to stay. They're the reason we're here in the first place," Chiron answered.

Few whispers came from around the table before Silena voiced everyone's question. "Who are they?"

Chiron took a deep breath, taking his time. It was as if the centaur, with all of his experience, wasn't sure how to share what he knew. Grover seemed especially interested in the ceiling just then.

"What I'm about to say may be hard to believe at first, yet it's nothing but the truth. These children," Chiron stopped briefly to look at the kids by his side, "they came today, from the future."

Annabeth was not sure if she had heard him correctly. He couldn't have said what she thought he said. All she saw at the ping-pong table were puzzled faces and short laughs of disbelief, as if they didn't know if Chiron was joking.

"Future? As in time travel?" asked Charles Beckendorf, the dark-skinned counselor for Hephaestus cabin.

"That's correct. These children have not even been born yet, their parents are quite young at this time." Chiron insisted. The centaur seemed like he couldn't believe what he was saying either.

Was he really serious then? Annabeth tried to consider the possibility. She was living in a world with Greek gods and monsters, so fantastical things happened every time. And still, the blond girl had not heard anything like time travel before, which was something considering how often things repeated in their world. She tried to remember some old story, something she was missing, something that could explain this. She got nothing.

"You're joking, right?" Silena's voiced everybody's thoughts.

"I'm afraid not. I've been talking with them and I believe they truly are who they claim to be," the centaur said, "They have no idea how they got here either, which is something we need to solve."

The longest silence passed as people tried to process that. Lee scratched his head while Castor stared down wide-eyed.

"That's just— Wow," said Julie.

The whole idea of them being time travelers was not easy to digest, still, Annabeth knew Chiron wasn't someone who could be easily tricked. The girl had so many questions, yet she voiced the obvious one, "If they don't know, who does? How did they get here?"

"That's something I'm looking into. At this moment nothing is certain," It was strange looking at Chiron's expression as it went dark. It was as if for a moment the centaur's face could show his real age. "If someone here has received a message, or has a lead on how to return these kids to their time, this would be a good moment to speak up."

"But who are they then? Are they demigods?" asked Charles.

"Yes, in a slightly different way. None of their parents is actually a god."

"How is that possible? Demigods need to have a godly parent. That's why they're demigods in the first place." Lauren tried to argue.

"Yeah, they can't belong here," Silena added. The black wavy hair of Silena fell gracefully on her shoulders, as if arranged by magic. Surely it was, considering she was a daughter of Aphrodite.

"They're demigods and they do belong here," Chiron insisted. "The fact their parents are not gods doesn't mean there's no godly blood running through their veins."

"How can that be?" Julie asked.

"Demigods!" Annabeth interrupted. She wasn't sure of her suspicions yet but if she was right then the whole thing could get very awkward for one of them quite soon.

"What?" Clarisse turned, frowning.

"They're the kids of a demigod," Annabeth voiced out her thoughts.

The murmurs ran wild across the table this time and they did not stop until Castor spoke. "For real? But—"

"Godly grandparents," Lauren cut him off, matter-of-factly.

"Precisely." Annabeth nodded.

"But that can't be true. Demigods don't usually live that long," Lee replied, gaining uneasy faces all around.

"And even so, they would be only something like quarterbloods, right?" Castor added.

Chiron stopped more questions from being formed. "They are halfbloods. Grover can confirm my words."

All eyes moved to Grover. Annabeth hadn't thought what the satyr was doing at the Council until that moment. Grover took a deep breath, then he started to give them his explanation with a touch of nervousness on his voice. "I— they are. I mean, I didn't recognize it at first but they do smell like halfbloods."

"Isn't the smell weaker? They have less godly blood, don't they?" Julie asked.

"No, they definitely smell like halfbloods. Powerful ones, I think," Grover answered surprising all of them.

"But, how?"

"They should be weaker."

"Unless their demigod parent is a powerful one."

The arguing and theories thrown about were so loud that Annabeth had trouble following what was being said. She was about to say both of their parents could be demigods when the boy silenced everyone. "They are powerful! They saved Olympus!"

"They?"

"Olympus?"

The commotion increased tenfold, obviously. Annabeth couldn't understand what was being said anymore. Luke was the only one surprisingly quiet, his face had a worried expression to it that was very uncommon for him. It made the pale scar under his eye stand out.

"Silence! All of us need to calm down for a moment, please. Grover is right, they are halfbloods. Both of their parents are demigods. About the Olympus part," he stopped for a moment, looking oddly towards the blond boy. "It's the first time I'm hearing about it."

"Oh Come on!" Luke's finally said. He stood up, bringing both hands forcibly to the ping-pong table. Annabeth didn't recognize him for a moment, there were no traces of his typical mischievous smile. "You're not seriously considering this, are you? He's obviously lying."

"He's not! Mom and Dad are heroes! They had this huge fight in Olympus and they won!" the little girl yelled as she pressed her lips together, she had a nasty frown on her and her arms were crossed over her chest

Luke was taken aback by that girl's determination. Annabeth thought he was getting paler by the second.

Castor let his face rest on his hand, "This is so weird."

"That's an understatement," added Lauren.

At that moment, the little black-haired girl whispered something to Chiron.

"In a moment Sophia, she doesn't know yet, remember?" the centaur answered calmly to the girl's silent request.

"What did she say?" Julie asked.

"She wants to go with her mother."

"Her mother?"

"But who— ?" Silena was looking carefully at the kids, then a gasp escaped her. She had noticed something, but she was hardly the only one who had done so. In a few seconds, everybody was staring at Annabeth in awe, even Luke had his blue eyes fixed on her. The son of Hermes sat down, taking his hand to his forehead.

Then it hit her. Annabeth turned to look at the little girl one more time, Sophia. The girl did look an awful lot like her except for her eyes, hair, and some minor details here and there. She had initially thought that she was just another daughter of Athena, but it was true that she had way more in common with Annabeth than with Lauren. Suddenly everything was clear.

Her Mother. A demigod. Annabeth's thoughts were rushing very fast in her head.

"But, Me?" Annabeth pointed at her chest just to make it clear who ' _me'_ was.

"Hi Mom," the blond boy spoke quietly and more gasps were heard.

"Did he say what I think he said?" Lee asked Silena.

"I heard him too. Annabeth explain yourself, is there something you haven't told us?" the Aphrodite girl was giggling.

"I— No!" surely Annabeth was completely red. This couldn't be happening, she thought, she was only twelve.

"Can I go now?" Sophia asked Chiron.

"Annabeth, is it okay with you?" Chiron asked her. Annabeth was still pretty much shocked, she didn't even understand what was Chiron asking her.

"I think I believe her. She looks upset," Julie whispered to Annabeth.

Annabeth nodded without realizing what she was agreeing to. It took just a few seconds for the little girl to be standing next to Annabeth, hugging her. Annabeth didn't know what to do so she kept staring at that little version of herself.

Almost everyone in the room was surprised. Annabeth was way beyond that.

Sophia started to pull on Annabeth's orange shirt, trying to get her attention. "Is it true, Mommy? You don't remember us? Rio says we're in the past, but I don't know."

Annabeth stared at her, speechless.

"Mommy?" the girl insisted.

"Hey, Annabeth, congratulations!" Lee said and a few smirks were heard. Annabeth glared at him, then turned her attention back to the girl, Sophia.

The little girl appeared to be confused. Annabeth knew none of this was her fault, still, it was too much to take. Sophia looked more like her younger sister than her daughter.

The sad expression on Sophia was soon too much to ignore, it was affecting Annabeth somehow. Yes, Sophia's hair couldn't possibly be more black, but she still reminded her so much of her own reflection in the mirror on the bad days. Annabeth saw her and kept thinking about herself, alone after running away from home, trying to hide from an unknown monster in some dark alley.

"Hi," Annabeth mumbled doubtfully, trying to smile at the girl. She felt the need to make the girl feel better, to tell her everything was going to be okay.

 _This is just a dream_ , Annabeth told herself. Sophia smiled back and hugged her again. The girl's bright green eyes shined with hope. She was very cute.

"Perfect! Another know-it-all girl," Clarisse complained. Annabeth threw a nasty look in her direction, at her side, Lauren didn't look very pleased with Clarisse either.

"This is a complex situation, I know, but we can handle it," Chiron's words caught Annabeth's attention. "Rio, the boy, is ten. He'll not be born for several years. Sophia is his sister, she's just six. Thinking about it, they were born in the last timeline, this one has already been changed."

Annabeth gave a more studious look at the boy, he was her son also. Rio had her blond hair and her eyes, but aside from that he didn't look much like Annabeth.

"You're really buying their story!" Luke was on his feet again. "Don't let them fool you!"

Annabeth jumped in her place after seeing Luke acting like that. It was not usual for him to lose control. "Luke calm down."

"You're the Luke guy!? The son of Hermes?" the boy, Rio, asked, pointing at him.

Annabeth noticed the nervous looks Rio and Sophia were throwing at Luke and how hard Luke was looking back at the boy. For an odd reason, Luke wasn't answering the boy's question and Annabeth even got the impression he was sweating.

"Of course he is!" Charles said.

A weird sensation came then to Annabeth, as if something dangerous was about to happen. The tension was undeniable.

"Is he the one you fought in Olympus, Mommy? The bad guy?" Sophia asked innocently. Annabeth didn't know what to make of those words. It was as if Sophia was speaking in a different language.

"The bad guy?" Julie asked, confused.

Astonished faces were exchanged, the counselors didn't know who to turn to. Castor was scratching his temple, his eyes on Chiron. Silena's nervous glances were set on Luke. Lee had a disbelief smile on him when he talked next, "Luke's not a bad guy."

"But he almost killed Mommy and Daddy! And he had many bad friends!" Sophia said. No one was smiling now.

Chiron turned to Rio, asking for confirmation with a stern look.

"Mom says the Luke guy wasn't bad. She says he just made wrong choices," the blond boy said with a frightened voice, his eyes fixed on Luke. "But, in the stories, he gets an army of monsters and attacks camp. Some of Dad's and Mom's friends die."

Silence.

It couldn't be true. They were surely talking about a different Luke. This Luke, _her Luke_ , was not a traitor. Annabeth knew him. It had to be a mistake.

Once Annabeth had convinced herself of that, she turned quickly to see Luke's expression, and what she saw unsettled her even more. Luke had a steel-like look set on Chiron, one hand gripping at the table so hard that it looked like he might break it. Why wasn't he denying any of it?

Chiron and Luke stared defiantly at each other, for what seemed like a long time. It was as if they were having a silent conversation.

"Luke..." the centaur finally said, trying to get out of his chair, slowly.

Then, out of nowhere, complete mayhem.


End file.
